Names of Individuals

Almost no ship passenger lists have survived from the 17th century, and no official census was taken of all colonists after 1625. A few early immigrants are mentioned in the official records of the Virginia Company of London, the private company that was commissioned to operate the colony between 1606 and 1624. Additionally, some immigrants have been identified from documents found at the Public Record Office, Kew, and at Magdalene College, Cambridge (both in England).

There are, however, three surviving lists which often substitute for a 17th-century census. Two were compiled following the 1622 Indian massacre, and the third dates from the turn of the 18th century. The first, "Lists of the Living and Dead in Virginia, 16th February, 1623," can be found in J.C. Hotten's Original Lists of Persons of Quality. The second list, "The Muster of the Inhabitants of Virginia" (dated January–February, 1624/5), can be found in John F. Dorman's Adventurers of Purse and Person, Virginia, 1607–1624/5, which publication features proven descendants of individuals through six generations. The "Muster" gives a year of arrival and the name of a ship for most, but not all, of the persons named. The third list, a single complete quitrent list, survives from 1704 and can be found in Annie L.W. Smith's Quit Rents of Virginia. As quitrents were taxes paid to the king for land, this list includes landowners only.

The following publications list individuals' names and are based on a variety of 17th-century primary sources:

Hotten, John Camden. Original Lists of Persons of Quality; … Who Went from Great Britain to the American Plantations, 1600–1700. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1968. Ref. E 187.5 .H7945 1968.

Records of the Virginia Company of London. Edited by Susan Myra Kingsbury. Washington, D.C.: Govt. Print. Off. 1906–35. Ref. F 229 .V86 These records have been digitized by the Library of Congress as part of the Thomas Jefferson Papers.

Land Records

Land patents are another means of identifying who was in Virginia by what date and, for some, where they lived. These patents record the first ownership of "new," i.e. not previously owned, land. They also record lists of persons who had emigrated sometime prior to the date of the patent being issued, and whose removal to Virginia created the entitlement to land. Land between the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers was distributed through the Fairfax family rather than a government agency; these grants are published separately. Without census records, and particularly when researching a county with significant early record loss, the land patents can be helpful in locating individuals and identifying family migration patterns. See the following publications:

Minutes of the Council and General Court of Colonial Virginia. Edited by H.R. McIlwaine. Richmond, VA: Virginia State Library, 1979. Ref. KFV 2418.2 1622b.

Statutes at Large … The Laws of Virginia, from … the Year 1619. Vols. 1–3. Charlottesville, VA: University Press of Virginia, 1969. Ref. KFV 2425.2 1809b.

County, Parish, and Church Records

Once a county of residence has been established, a researcher may look for surviving legal and church records, deeds, wills and probate records, inventories, court orders, parish registers, and vestry books from that county. County and parish boundaries changed over time as lands were settled further inland, so a family might be recorded in several different counties without ever moving. The maps in the three titles by C.F. Cocke are especially helpful in understanding these changes. See the following publications:

The York County Records Project includes a Biographical File on microfilm of names found in the colonial court records of York County. Both the Biographical File and matching microfilm of the original county records are available in Special Collections. Since the colonial court records of neighboring James City County do not survive, these are especially important for Williamsburg research.

Military Records

Very few records of specific military rank or duty survive from the 17th century. Armed civilians, organized into the militia, were the colony's only protection against Indian raids, internal revolt, and the threat of Spanish and Dutch invasion. During the early years of the century all able-bodied men, including indentured servants and slaves, were expected to participate in militia activities. By the end of the century membership in the militia was more restricted. Participation in Bacon's Rebellion in 1676 is slightly better documented than for other conflicts. See the following publications:

Washburn, Wilcomb E. Governor and the Rebel; A History of Bacon's Rebellion in Virginia. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1957. Ref. F 229 .W28.

Private Records

The Library owns a variety of original letters, diaries, business records, and other privately created documents regarding 17th-century Virginians. Many are available in published, transcript, and photocopy formats. Additionally, family Bibles and other genealogical records may be found online in the Library of Virginia's catalog of archives and manuscripts.

Virginia Colonial Records Project

The VCRP, available in Special Collections, is a microfilm series of early records obtained from institutions and records offices in Great Britain and western Europe. Abstracted survey reports of these records are available on the Library of Virginia's Virginia Memory Collections by Topic page, under "Historic Virginia Government."